Method of making steering-wheel rims



Dec, 23, 1924.

A. B, MACKEY METHOD OF MAKING STEERING WHEEL RIMS o 2 .9 l 2 1 b e F d e l .l F

Il, lq T TOPNE K Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT B. MACKEY, OF CLEVELANDV HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOLIAfI-I RUBBER COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION'AOF OHIO.

METHOD 0F MAKING'STEER-ING-WHEEL RIMS.

Application led February 12, 1923. Serial No. 618,463.

.7 10 ZZ ywhom it mg/ concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. BIACKEY, a citizenV of the United States, resident of Cleveland Heights,- county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Steering-I'Vheel Rims, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best inode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions. l

My invention relates to rings and; particularly to rings suitable for use as rims for the steering-wheels of automotive vehicles. The object of the invention is to produce, in an economical and efficient manner, a lightring having the necessary physical characteristics of strength, vresistance Ito.

wear and appearance.

Heretofore'it has been customary to use f' rings for steering Wheel rims made of wood, .necessarily solid and provided with joints. Such rims are obJectionable on account of their Weight, expense of manufacture, cost of material and proneness to splitting.

More specifically my invention consists of methods of producing a'hollow rim made of rubber vulcanized to produce the .required degree of hardness, said rim being unitary, integral and continuous in struc-l ture and entirely devoid of joints.

By rubber I mean any composition of matter which is ordinarily and often loosely referred to in the art as iubbei".and which might include compositions only resembling real rubber or compounds thereof.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain means embodying and a method designed to carry out my invention, the disclosed means, however, constituting but one of various forms and the described method but one particular method in which the principles of my invention may be applied.

In said annexed drawing;

Fig. l represents a side elevation of a piece of unvulcanized rubber tubing "from which my improved rim is manufactured.

Fig. 2 represents a plan of said tube after being bent around into ring form and prior to wrapping its abutting ends, and

Fig. 3 a side elevation of same.

Fig. et represents a plan of said tube with the abutting ends wrapped, and

Fig. 5 a side elevation of same.

Fig.` 6 represents a plan of a mold used in the process of manufacture and showing a wrapped tube thereon in dotted lines.

ig. 7 represents across-section of said mold and contained tube taken upon the plane indicated by line VII-VII, Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 represents a plan of a finished rim. Fig. 9 represents a full sized cross-section of a modified form of rim embodying my invention.

In carrying out my invention Irirsttake a piece of unvulcanized rubber tubing l of the required length and bevel its ends l2 and 3 as' shown in Fig. 1, upon opposite sides and in opposite directions. A quantity of liquid such as ammonia or a. mixture of ammonia and alcohol is then introduced into the interior of the tube. The tube 'is Athen bent andthe beveled ends caused to abut and overlap as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which ends are then wrapped with unvulcanized rubber tape to form a section 4 of increased diameter, such tape being of a composition which will vulcanize to the same degree, substantially, as will the tubing 1.

The tube so prepared is then placed Vin a tWo-partmold, formed with a cavity having the desired ring formation. The crosssectional area of the cavity is somewhat larger than that of the tube l and somewhat Smaller than the cross-sectional area of the Wrapped section 4. The mold will therefore compress the said section and bring the end planes thereof into close contact.

The mold is then heated to a temperature of about 310'o F., at which temperature the rubber of the tube will melt and' cause the ends and the rubber tape t6 weld and form' a continuous, integral unbroken structure..

The liquid upon the interior gasifes and expands the tube outwardly against vvthe sides of the mold cavity thus imparting ac` curately the contour of the latter to the formed ring.

- The above described method may be varied as follows to produce the modied form.

i portion 6 isofhard or unyieldingrubber., covered by an integrally united layer 7 of of rim shown in Fig. 9, in which the inner soft or yielding rubber.

l v be soft or yielding.

`To produce such strue-ture, the tube 1 is of a somewhat-'still smaller diameterthan that Whichl is used in the first-described proeess, and isfthen eonipletely'wrapped in un- Vulcanized iubber tape which is 'of a compo- 'sition such that after vulcanization it Will Such `complete Wrap-l ping also kcovers the beveled joint and in so far as concerns the latter effects the saine purpose as in the first deseribel process.

luso far, also, as relates to the union of 'a lsoft or yielding outer layer of rubber with Aa hard or unyielding inner portion,

v. into an integral structure, it is immaterial Whether or not the inner portion is solidv or hollow, as Will be .understood by those skilled in the art@ What I claim is:

1. The steps in amethod of manufacturing a rubber ring, which consist in taking al tube of unvulcanized rubber; abutting its ends; Wrapping the latter with rubber tape; placing the ring so formed in a inold pro- `vided With'a cavity having the desired ring formation; the cross-section of such cavity being greater than the cross-section of said tube and less than that of' such Wrapped portion; and then heating same to a vul eanizing temperature capable of welding said ends and tape.

2. The method oli-manufacturing a hollow rubber ring, which consists in taking a tube of unvuleanized rubber; abutting its ends;

1,520 iei Wrapping such abutting ends with' rubber vtape so as to form a section of greaterdiameter than that of: said tube; placing such 'tube in a molduhaving va cavityl of the`de- Asired l ring formation;

'cient to Weld the joint betiyeen the tube `ends and the tube `and tape.

4. The method of manufacturing a rubberring, Which consists in bringing the ends of a piece of unvulcanized rubber tubing together; Acompletely `Wrapping the tubing with unvulcanized rubber tape; and then' vuleanizing the Whole ata temperature sufficientl to Weld the joint between the tube ends and the tubeiand tape, said tape being of a composition such as Will as a resultof such Vulcanization, produce a soft or yielding structure.'

Signed by me VthisOth day of January, 1923. f v

ALBERT B. MACKEY. 

